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Turkish MPs back Erdogan power-grab

MPs in Turkey's parliament on Sunday backed wide-sweeping constitutional changes to bolster president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's grip on power. The changes, if approved via a second reading and a referendum, will create an executive presidency, replace the prime minister post with a vice-president, and allow the president to intervene in the judiciary. The move follows a purge of so-called state saboteurs in the wake of last July's failed military coup.

Interview

The controversy over the new EU Commission top civil servant is revealing of what is wrong with EU institutions and how they are blocked by national governments, says award-winning Austrian novelist Robert Menasse.